Indicator-lock



(Nov Model.) 2 Sheets--Sheet 1. F. ALDRICH.

INDICATOR LOCK.

No. 585,016. Patented'June 22,1897.

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(No Model.) 2 sheets-Shana F. ALDRICH.

INDIGATUR LUCK.

No. 585,016, Paten-ted June 22, 1897.

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FRANK ALDRICH, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

INDICATOR-LOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 585,016, dated June 22, 189'?.

Application led 0015056? 9, 1396- To all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that l, FRANK ALDRICH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Indicator-Locks; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the saine, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which-form part of this specification.

Myinvention relates to indicator-locks for railway-cars, and has for its object to provide a lock which may be permanently fixed to the car and used continuou sly,and which is so constructed that after the car-door has been locked it cannotbe opened and again relocked without the lock indicating that fact; and it consists in the construction,hereinafter described, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of a portion of a car-door and car with my invention vapplied thereto. Fig. 2 is a view of the interior of the casing, the front plate being removed. Fig'. 3 is a similar View, the back plate being removed. Fig. 4 is a view of the interior of the lock, showing the sliding bolt locked in position. Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 0c a: of` Fig. 3, looking to the right. Fig. 6 is a View of the sliding bolt, the supporting and guiding casing being in section. Fig. 7 is a View of a key for unlocking the sliding bolt, and Fig. 8 is a View showing a modified form ot'. key.

Similar reference-numerals` indicate corresponding parts in each figure of the drawings.

1 represents a plate, to which is attached a casing 2, which supports and guides a sliding bolt 3. The casing is provided with an elongated slot t in its lower side, and through this slot projects a pin 5, secured at its inner end to the bolt 3. The bolt is provided with gearteeth 6 on a portion of its lower face and with a locking notch or recess 7 at its forward end on the upper face. The bolt is also provided with bearing-shoulders S on each side for a purpose which will hereinafter be explained.

9 represents a casing in which the bolt 3 slides. On the interior of the vcasing is a guideway 10 for the bolt 3. This guideway Serial No. 608,359- (No model.)

is secured to the rear portion of the upper plate of the casing and has an open bottom to permit the lower part of the bolt to project below it. The sides of the guideway are turned inwardly, as indicated at 11, and form supports for the shoulders 8 on the bolt. The casing 9 and plate 1 are secured, as shown in Fig. 1, to the car and the car-door, respectively.

Extending from end to end of the casing 9 is a bar 12, firmly secured to the casing at its ends, andthis bar and the rear plate 13 of the casing 9 form bearings for threel spindles 14,

15, and 16, which are thus supported horizontally within the casing. Each of these spindles carries a disk 17 at its extreme front end. These disks are immediately in the rear ofthe front plate 18 of the casing 9 and are each provided near their outer front edge or face with numerals from 1 to 9. The front plate 1S of the casing 9 is provided with three. openings 19, through which one of the numerals on each disk can be seen.

2O represents a protecting-plate which is hinged to the top of the casing 9 and covers the openings 19 for the purpose of preventing dust and other foreign matter from defacing the figured disks when the openings are not covered by glass. j Each ot the spindles 14, 15, and 16 carries a pinion 2l, and these pinions are engaged and turned by the teeth 6 of the bolt 3 as it slides in and out of the casing. It will be seen, therefore, that any movement of the bolt in or out of the casing will turn the pinions 21 and the disks 17, the pinions and disks being of course fast on the spindles.

22 is a spring-dog secured at one end to the upper plate of the casing 9 and its free end adapted to engage the recess 7 in the bolt 3 when the latter reaches the extremity of its movement into the casing 9. The dog 22 is provided with a downward projection 23 at one of its sides, which projection is adapted to be engaged by the key to lift the dog out of engagement of the recess 7 to permit the bolt to be withdrawn.

24: represents a casing and guideway for the key. lf a removable key is used, such as shown in Fig. 7, the dog will be lifted by a lug on the end of the key when it is turned; but if the key forms a stationary part of the IOO easing, as indicated in Fig. S, and is held back from the dog by a spring 25 a simple push on the key will be sufiieient to lift the dog out of the reeess and the spring will return it to an inoperative position. The spindle 1G also carries a tooth-wheel 2G, which is located in the rear of the guideway 10 and is rigidly secured to the spindle.

27 represents an arm pivoted at one end to the upper plate of the easing and provided at its lower end with a pin 2S, which projects laterally therefrom to engage the teeth of the wheel 2G. Another pin 2O projects from the opposite side of the arm 27 -about midway of its length, and to this pin is secured the upper end of a coil-spring 30, the lower end of said spring being attached to the bottom plate of the easing 9. The arm QTis in the path of travel of the bolt 3.

The operation of my lock is as follows: Then the bolt is slid in the casing 9,the teeth G will engage and turn the pinions 2l unt-il the bolt reaches the limit of its inward movement, when it will be locked in position by the spring-dog 22. During its inward movement the bolt will have engaged the arm 27 and lifted it from the position shown in Fig. 3 to that shown in Fig. Li. Vhen the bolt is locked in position, the disks will indicate a certain number through the opening 19 in the front plate of the easing Q-as, for instance, 932 -and this number will be made apart of the record relating to the contents of the ear, and the same number will appear when the car reaches its destination if the lock has not been tampered with. Should the loek, however, be opened by any person, it will be impossible for such person to unlock and again lock the door without showing a different number. In entering the easing the bolt will turn the pinions only a specific number of teeth, but in withdrawing,T the bolt the momentum imparted to the pinions and diskswill tend to carry them beyond the point where the bolt would leave them, and this would be considerable if the bolt were withdrawn quickly. It would, however, be possible by great care in withdrawing the bolt very slowly, so that the pinions would have no momentum after the bolt left them,to unlock the door and again relock it and show the original number were it not for the arm Q7, which as soon as the bolt moves from beneath it is caused by the spring 30 to quickly descend, and the pin 28 will strike one of the teeth of the wheel 27 and cause the wheel to revolve with considerable speed, and as the bolt will have become disengaged from the pinion 011 the spindle 16 there will be nothing to prevent the disk on the spindle from turning very much from the position it was left in by the withdrawal of the bolt. It is obvious, therefore, that even if the bolt were withdrawn with such care that the disks on the spindles 11i and 15 would show the original figures it would be impossible for the disks on spindle 1G to do so.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I now ela-imasnew, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a lock for cars, a sliding` locking-bolt provided with teeth, combined with a series of spindles, pinions on said spindles engaged by the toothed bolt, and indicating-disks carried by the spindles, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a lock for cars, a sliding bolt provided with teeth and having a locking-recess, combined with a easing, aseries of spindles having their bearing in the easing, pinions on the spindles adapted to be engaged by the teeth on the bolt, a dog within the easing to engage the locking-recess in the bolt, indicatiu g-disks carried by the spindles, and a device to disengage the dog from the locking-recess, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a lock forcars, a casing, spindles journaled in the easing, and pinions and indicating-disks carried by the spindles, combined with a toothed sliding bolt the teeth of which operate the pinions, a toothed wheel on one of the spindles, and a spring-actuated arm released by the withdrawal of the bolt to strike said toothed wheel and rotate it, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4C. In a lock for ears, a sliding bolt provided with teeth and bearing-shoulders, combined with a easing having openings at its front plate, a guideway in said casing having supports for the shoulders on the bolt, a series of spindles having their bearings in the casing, pinions carried by the spindles to be engaged by the teeth on the bolt, indicatingdisks carried by said spindles and provided with numerals arranged on their faces te be visible through the opening in the easing, and a protecting-plate hinged to the easing and covering the openings in the front plate of the casing, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In a lock for cars, a sliding bolt provided with teeth, a locking-recess, and bearingshoulders, combined with a casing having openings in its front plate, a guideway in said casing having supports for the shoulders on the bolt, a series of spindles journaled within the easing, pinions carried by the spindles to be engaged by the teeth on the bolt, indicating-disks carried by said spindles and to rotate in the rear of the openings in the front plate of the casing, and a spring-actuated dog secured at one end of the casing and its free end engaging the locking-recess in the bolt when the latter has reached the limit of its inward movement, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK ALDRICH.

IVitnesses:

H. G. Henna, A. V. IIoLMns.

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